Arise is one of those bands that could have been something more then what they are. Originally established in 1994 and taking their name from the song and album of the same name by Sepultura, this Death and Thrash Metal act has only had three full length releases prior to this one, with their first, The Godly Work Of Art not being released until 2001. Since then, the band has released a new album within a two year time period, until this one, their fourth full length effort entitled The Reckoning. After receiving many dismal reviews for their previous outings, the band surely took the extra four years before this release to work on their material, right?

The best way to explain the sound that you will find here on The Reckoning will be to say it’s as if At The Gates threw some Thrash in their guitars on their later two albums, and obtained a much better vocalist. There are some tracks on here that seem to sound like something off current In Flames or even Dark Tranquillity due to the somewhat more melodic chorus music and vocals here and there, such as on “They Are Coming For You”. But this doesn’t mean that the The Reckoning is god awful idol worship. While much of this could be considered carbon copy of bands past, what matters is that the music on here is very well done, solid, and flows smoothly from start to finish with only a few rough patches.

There are plenty of tracks on this release that will have your blood racing and fists pounding int he air. “No Memory of Light” is the best example thanks to it’s intense music that borders Melodic Death and Death Metal, but really emphasizes the Thrash aspect throughout to create a rather violent feel to the music, as well as “The Fury” which is a great song, but has one hell of an intense guitar solo and a chorus that is perfectly executed. You also have a slightly different end of the spectrum with tracks like “They Are Coming For You” that seem to put more emphasis on a Melodic Death aspect to the music. It’s in these tracks that some of the modern Melodic Death influences show through and create a catchy, vibrant environment that will have you headbanging along from start to just about the finish.

The Reckoning does have a few small spots here and there that could have best been left on the studio floor. “Pitch Black” is an slow, yet very intense track that feels like it would have been done better as a more Industrial track then anything this band has put on this release. The track not only feels out of place, but it just kind of feels like the band had an idea, and just didn’t know how to tackle it and went with the best of however many options. By the time it ends, you’ll probably not want to listen to it again anytime soon. “Dead Silence” is another song that creates a bit of a speed bump. While the song is great, it just doesn’t quite fit in on this album. This one is clearly Thrash oriented, sounding almost like “Fed Up Anthem” by Terror 2000 was the main inspiration behind the track. When you take this song by itself, it’s enjoyable, but after one or two spins it will lose your interest. The last issue with the release would be the track “End of Days”, which could have been a lot better, but after a while the song just starts to feel a bit drawn out and repetative to fit it’s eight and a half minute track length. Had a little more work been done on this one, it could have been saved and really ended the album nicely.

Let the elitists tell you that this album is awful and chock full of lame guitar riffs and stereotypically bland songs. The truth of the matter is that the music on this release is very well done and enjoyable from start to finish, with one exception thrown in. Sure it may be the farthest thing from a breath of fresh air, it’s still more enjoyable then many of the new acts out there that claim to be fresh and new. If you’re still iffy about this one, then you really do need to at least sample the album somewhere. The Reckoning may not be album of the year material, but it’s still a release that many open Metal fans can approach and enjoy easily.